Tell Her About It
by robertwnielsen
Summary: Hawke and Cait are still dancing around their feelings...and Dom's had enough.  Will his plan to change things work, or backfire miserably?


_Tell Her About It_

A/N 1 – The characters aren't mine, belonging to either Bellisario or Universal. I just take them out to play every now and then, since B & U don't anymore.

A/N 2 – This is a similar story to my _Love Will Turn You Around_ series, inspired during a chat session with Sirius7 the other night. The events of _Love Will Turn You Around _won't have occurred – so Hawke and Cait are still dancing around their feelings. I'll leave it to reviewers to decide whether or not there are any new chapters, so _please_ review! – robertwnielsen

Summary – Hawke and Cait are still dancing around their feelings...and Dom's had enough. Will his plan to change things work, or backfire miserably?

"Yeah...yeah, that's right. Billy Joel's _Tell Her About It," _Dominic Santini said to the voice on the other end of the telephone. "Nah, no dedication or anything like that. It's...for a friend," he continued before hanging up the phone in the office. _And I'm safer if that friend doesn't know what I just did, _Dom said to himself. The local rock and roll station was having their all-request and dedication show, and Dominic decided this might be the perfect opportunity to try again to get Hawke to look at Caitlin as more than just a good friend. _I'm not getting any younger, after all...it might be nice to know String had somebody looking out for him after I leave...and, a surrogate grandkid, or two, wouldn't hurt, either. Of course, if this backfires, String'll probably kill me. Heck...even if it _**works, **_String'll probably kill me. _Dom said to himself as he walked out of the office, almost bumping into his younger surrogate son.

"What are you up to this time, Dom?" Hawke demanded. He'd seen Dom walk into the office a few minutes after they arrived at the hangar, and noticed that Dom had locked himself in until just now.

"Who? _Me?_ String, I'm hurt," Dom said, but the grin on his face gave his true emotions away. "I was just talking to an old friend, that's all." _Somehow, I don't think he believes that, _Dom said to himself worriedly.

"Dom...I know you better than that," Hawke said with a friendly, yet warning, smile. "You don't lock yourself in the office if you're just 'talking to an old friend.' So come on...what are you up to now?"

"Nothing, String...hey, you seen Cait around here?" Dom was worried that his younger employee, Caitlin O'Shannessy, seemed to be running late. _I was hoping she'd get here before that song played, _Dom said to himself worriedly. _But...then again, maybe it's better that she's not here...as long as nothing's happened._

"No, Dom...I haven't seen Cait...but then again, I haven't exactly been _looking _for her, either," Stringfellow replied. He had begun to grow tired of Dominic's seemingly incessant attempts to get String to see Cait as something more than the good friend he knew her to be. _Dom...she's my _**friend, **Hawke had said on multiple occasions. _Wouldn't that be...I dunno..._**weird? **Lately, however, String had found Caitlin more and more in the center of his thoughts, and he couldn't figure out why. _She's even shown up in my dreams at night, _Hawke said to himself, frustrated, yet glad that he hadn't mentioned that little fact to Dominic. _If I didn't know better, I'd swear I was...nah...that can't happen, _Hawke said to himself just as he saw Caitlin walk into the hangar.

"Mornin', Dom!" She called out. "Listen, Dom...sorry I'm late, but I forgot to set the alarm clock last night and..."

"Uh-huh. A likely story," Dominic said to her with a frown, then grinned widely. "No big deal...we're not that busy anyway. Hey, listen, you two...why don't we..." Dom began outlining things he wanted to get done around the hangar, since they had no shoots or other serious work scheduled for that day.

Later that morning, while Hawke and Dom were working on a camera mount and Cait was in the office straightening out some files, Dom had flipped on the radio for something to listen to, just as a DJ came on and said, "Here's a special request we got early this morning...Billy Joel's _Tell Her About It."_ Dominic glanced over at String as the introduction started to play, and noticed he was shaking his head. Finally, Billy Joel's voice came through –

_Listen boy _

_Don't want to see you let a good thing _

_Slip away _

_You know I don't like watching _

_Anybody make the same mistakes _

_I made _

_She's a real nice girl _

_And she's always there for you _

_But a nice girl wouldn't tell you what you should do_

_Not again, Dom..._Hawke said to himself, exasperated. He knew, almost instinctively, that Dominic had been the one to request the song...and the reason _why_ he'd requested it. _Won't you _**ever **_give up?_

_Listen boy _

_I'm sure that you think you got it all _

_Under control _

_You don't want somebody telling you _

_The way to stay in someone's soul _

_You're a big boy now _

_You'll never let her go _

_But that's just the kind of thing _

_She ought to know_

By this time, Caitlin had finished up in the office and was listening to the radio with Dom, and caught Dom's expression. _Dom, you did this, didn't you? _Caitlin said to herself. She knew she'd been in love with Stringfellow Hawke almost from the moment she'd seen him working on that old Stearman in front of the hangar three years ago. _I'm just tired of fighting it, _she had told Dom on more than one occasion. _How many times can a gal bang her head against a brick wall like Hawke, before she winds up with permanent brain damage? _She had a feeling that this latest episode of Dominic's would do nothing to change Hawke's mind, though.

_Tell her about it _

_Tell her everything you feel _

_Give her every reason to accept _

_That you're for real _

_Tell her about it _

_Tell her all your crazy dreams _

_Let her know you need her _

_Let her know how much she means_

Hawke, meanwhile, was wearing an expression that neither Dom nor Caitlin recognized. It almost seemed to them as if Hawke was deep in thought about something, but neither one could place what. "Here, String...I'll just change the -" Dom's offer to change the radio station was cut off, first by Hawke's hand over the tuning knob, then, his voice.

"_No, _Dom." Hawke said, with more force than either Dom or Caitlin could recall. They exchanged a puzzled glance with each other as the song continued.

_Listen boy _

_It's not automatically a certain guarantee _

_To insure yourself _

_You've got to provide communication constantly _

_When you love someone _

_You're always insecure _

_And there's only one good way _

_To reassure_

_What's going on here? _Hawke asked himself. He felt certain emotions welling up inside him...emotions he hadn't felt since Gabrielle Ademaur, the young woman who had flown Archangel to the cabin the first time, and who was later captured and murdered by Charles Henry Moffet, the sadistic genius who had built Airwolf. Hawke suddenly began to put the pieces together..._the dreams I've been having lately...now these feelings...I guess it's happening..._he said to himself. _Now the only question is, what am I gonna _**DO **_about it?_ The chorus of the song came on, almost as if in answer to Hawke's unspoken question.

_Tell her about it _

_Let her know how much you care _

_When she can't be with you _

_Tell her you wish you were there _

_Tell her about it _

_Every day before you leave _

_Pay her some attention _

_Give her something to believe_

Dom's expression turned more hopeful as he watched Hawke. _Mama mia...I think he might _**really **_be listening! Oh, I hope so!_

_Cause now and then _

_She'll get to worrying _

_Just because you haven't spoken _

_For so long _

_Though you may not have done anything _

_Will that be a consolation when she's gone_

_Ouch. _**That **_hurts, _Hawke said to himself. He knew that he hadn't been talking to Cait the way he used to...and he wondered; _does she worry about it? That we haven't talked for a while? _

_Listen boy _

_It's good information from a man _

_Who's made mistakes _

_Just a word or two that she gets from you _

_Could be the difference that it makes _

_She's a trusting soul _

_She's put her trust in you _

_But a girl like that won't tell you _

_What you should do_

_Dom, you sure know how to pick 'em, _Caitlin said to herself as she fought to keep a grin from erupting across her face. _That last couple of verses sounds a lot like how I've been feeling lately. _She had mentioned her frustrations with Hawke to Dom more than once recently, and had even hinted that she was thinking about moving back to Texas, because of her frustrations over Hawke's inability to see her as anything more than a good friend. _But I've got a funny feeling. Something's...different,_ she said to herself, hopeful, yet reining her emotions in. _Careful, Caity girl, _a voice in her head seemed to be saying._ You've been down this road before...you don't want to get your heart busted in a million pieces again. _

_Tell her about it _

_Tell her everything you feel _

_Give her every reason _

_To accept that you're for real _

_Tell her about it _

_Tell her all your crazy dreams _

_Let her know you need her _

_Let her know how much she means _

_Tell her about it _

_Tell her how you feel right now _

_Tell her about it _

_The girl don't want to wait too long _

_You got to tell her about it _

_Tell her now and you won't go wrong _

_You got to tell her about it _

_Before it gets too late _

_You got to tell her about it _

_You know the girl don't want _

_To wait-you got to _

_Tell her about it_

_Okay, okay...I get it, _Hawke said to himself, frustrated. He knew what he had to do..._no..._he said to himself. _I know what I _**want **_to do. Besides, Kelly and Gabrielle would want me to be happy, wouldn't they? And, Dom's still here...and I love him like he was my dad. I guess...I guess there's only one thing left to do...the only question is, how do I do it? _Suddenly, a plan began forming in his mind, even as he felt the burdens of the past few years lifting from his heart, and the love that he knew he felt for Caitlin taking their place there.

"String? You okay?" Dominic asked his young friend. Something in Hawke's face seemed different, and both Dom and Caitlin noticed it. _He's...smiling, _Dom said to himself, amazed. _I haven't seen him smile like that in a long time._

Caitlin noticed the change in Hawke's expression, too. _That smile could light up this whole airport for the next five years,_ she said to herself, startled. _What has he got to be smiling like that about? _She couldn't figure out what would be making him look like that, until he took off his shades, looked her straight in the eye, and said, "Cait...there's something I want to talk to you about." Dom, noticing the look in his young friend's eyes, hurriedly retreated to the safety of the office, keeping the door open so he could hear what went on.

"Sure, Hawke. What's on your mind?" Cait asked him, her own mind and heart buzzing with questions about his sudden change in demeanor. _I never noticed this before, _she said to herself, _but he has the most beautiful eyes. _

"I just...I just wonder...does it bother you that we haven't been talking like we used to?" Hawke said, and Caitlin thought she detected a note of sadness in his voice.

"Sorta," she said with a sigh. "I was beginning to think...that you didn't want to talk to me anymore. That...maybe, you didn't like me anymore."

_Oh, Cait,_ Hawke said to himself, knowing his true feelings were the exact opposite of what Caitlin had just said. Aloud, he said, "Caitlin...I need to tell you something...but I'm not real sure what to say."

_What? _Caitlin couldn't believe what she'd just heard, and even more so, couldn't believe it when Hawke reached out and took her by the hand. "Hawke? Are you all right? Hey," she said with a warm, friendly smile, "Whatever it is...you can tell me. Okay?" She gave his hand a friendly squeeze, hoping the small gesture would let him know she was listening.

"Okay...first of all, I wanted to apologize for not telling you this before...see...you know about the curse that I think I have...and...what I'm about to tell you has a lot to do with that," Hawke stammered, and he knew he wasn't making sense.

"Hawke...it's _okay. _You can tell me," Caitlin said firmly, but her heart was racing. _What is he trying to say? _

_I can't do this, _Hawke said to himself, more frightened than he'd ever been in his life. But, when he looked into Caitlin's blue-green eyes and saw the feelings there, a wave of calm washed over him, and he knew he _could_ do this.

"Caitlin...I didn't want to go any longer without telling you something...something I think you've been trying to get me to understand for a long time now," Hawke said, and he could see Caitlin's expression change from hope to confusion. "I've just been so afraid...but I think I realize now that you're perfectly capable of taking care of yourself, and that maybe...maybe the curse can be broken," he continued, gathering up his courage. _She probably thinks I'm rambling...or babbling...or both,_ Hawke said to himself. _And she'd be right. Why can't I just come out and say it, for Pete's sake? _

_Oh, for cryin' out loud, String...just tell me already!_ Cait thought—and _hoped—_that she knew what Hawke was trying to say, but decided to wait and let him finish. _If I interrupt him, who knows what he'd do, _she said to herself, then noticed he was getting ready to continue.

"Cait...what I'm trying to say is that..." his voice broke, and he had to take several deep breaths before he could continue, but when he did, his voice was clear and strong. "Caitlin...I'm trying to tell you that I love you...and I've loved you for a very, _very _long time. I've...just been afraid to admit it, until now." Hawke felt a wave of relief that he'd finally gotten the words out, and watched Caitlin's face for any reaction.

Caitlin, meanwhile, was stunned by the revelation she'd just heard. _I don't believe it, _she said to herself. _Did he just say that he...he _**loves **_me? _When she finally found her voice again, Caitlin whispered, "Hawke? Did I...did I hear you say that...you _love me?" _Tears flooded her eyes as she waited for his answer.

"Yeah, Cait...you did. And, I'll say it again. Caitlin O'Shannessy, I love you," Hawke repeated, then gently took her face in his hands and kissed her, slowly at first, but his emotions built quickly as the longing he'd kept locked in his heart for so long was finally released. Caitlin felt her brain short-circuit as she felt Hawke's arms slip around her waist, and she slipped hers up around his neck and closed her eyes as she kissed him back, trying to match his passion with her own.

After what felt to Caitlin like far too long, Hawke broke the kiss and pulled back, just enough so that they could look into each other's eyes, and read the feelings there. Neither one spoke for several more seconds, until Caitlin finally thought she had found her voice and said, "Hawke..._I love you, too," _and embraced him again.

Dom came bursting out of the office at that moment, and shouted, _**"Dammit, String, it's about time!"**_ He thought his heart would literally burst, he was so happy. Silently, he gave prayers of thanks both to Saint Anthony, the patron saint of miracles, and to Saint Jude, the patron saint of all hopeless causes. _I never thought I'd live to see this day, _Dom said to himself, but the evidence was standing right there in front of him – Cait and String in each other's arms, both smiling like he'd never seen them smile before.

"Dom...first of all, don't go jumping to any conclusions," Hawke ordered his friend, but Dom could see the spark of mirth in Hawke's eyes. "This is only the beginning...we've got a long way to go before..."

"I know, I know, String," Dom said impatiently. "I'm just glad you finally saw sense about Cait! I was afraid one of us was gonna have to _beat _some sense into you!" Dom said as he clapped his young friend on the shoulder. "What changed your mind?"

"Simple, Dom...that song you requested," Hawke answered, still grinning. "Those lyrics...really got to me. And, I realized that no matter what, I had to tell Caitlin how I felt. And, Dom," Hawke continued, looking his surrogate father in the eyes, "Thanks."

"My pleasure, String..._my pleasure!" _Dom exulted as he embraced his two young friends. The new couple knew they had a long road ahead of them, especially with Hawke's tendency to sometimes withdraw into himself. Caitlin knew she would have her hands full trying to keep Hawke from doing that. _And I can't wait, _she said to herself as she felt tears of joy stream down her face. _Mom's going to be _**so **_happy to hear about this...almost as happy as I am. And, I'm gonna need _**serious **_coffee tomorrow, 'cause I'm not gonna get a _**lick **_of sleep tonight._

Hawke, meanwhile, was awash in an emotion that he couldn't identify for the longest time. Then, as Caitlin moved closer to him and he saw the love there in her eyes, he recognized the emotion for what it was. _I'm _**happy, **Hawke said to himself. _For the first time in a long time, I'm really _**happy. **He knew that the two of them had a long road ahead of them, but with Caitlin's love, Hawke felt like anything was possible. That night, after he and Caitlin had shared a romantic dinner out together, and he had returned to his cabin, Hawke knew his life would never be the same. _Especially, now that Cait's more in it, _he said to himself with a smile as he went to sleep. That night, he found himself dreaming of a day he hoped would not be too far in the future – the day he and Caitlin finally married. _Hopefully, that day comes sooner rather than later, _Hawke said to himself, even though he realized they had a long way to go before they were ready for that. And for the first time in a long time, Stringfellow Hawke felt his life was good, and he felt optimistic about the future. _Thanks, Dom, _he said to himself with a smile. _For everything._


End file.
